title: Stigmatisation of a formerly obese young female.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Weight loss does not necessarily decrease the negative appraisal of a formerly overweight individual. Since past weight history tends to be disclosed in several contexts, this study aims to investigate whether negative appraisals are gender-specific and if they are modulated by the evaluators' own BMI.
  
  
  METHODS
  202 young adults (106 male and 96 female) viewed a picture of a young attractive female (target) accompanied by one of two statements about her past weight (overweight (OW) or always kept a normal weight (NW)), and then rated her using the Fat Phobia Scale (FPS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Female evaluators rated the target with the OW statement more negatively than the target with the NW statement. In contrast, males exposed to the OW statement rated the target as having fewer emotional/psychological problems and being less stupid/uncreative. BMI only influenced ratings in males, where those with higher BMI ascribed more negative attributes to the target with the NW statement than the OW statement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Information on weight history impacts upon the appraisal of peers. These effects are dependent on gender and BMI. Knowing that a young female was overweight triggered negative evaluations from females but did not appear to impact the judgment of males.
authors.affiliation: Kissileff Laboratory for the Study of Human Ingestive Behaviour, School of Psychology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: Sonia A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Tucci
authors.forename: Emma J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Boyland
authors.forename: Jason C G
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Halford
authors.forename: Joanne A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Harrold
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity; D050177:Overweight; D012737:Sex Factors; D012938:Social Perception; D013240:Stereotyping; D015431:Weight Loss; D055815:Young Adult